Tuesday 8th April 2025.
Today we drove a relatively short distance to Miranda Do Douro which is a town perched high above the Douro river it is one of the most easterly towns in Portugal, on the opposite bank of the river is Spain.
We are parked on a quiet road (apart from the cobbled surface) against the walls of the town a few metres away from one of the entrance archways.
From the top of the walls I was able to take further photos of our stopover and its magnificent views.
Miranda Do Douro was founded around 1286 and in 1545 it was elevated to city status. In 1762 during the 7 year war with Spain the army of Charles III invaded and a barn with about 500 barrels of gunpowder was hit by cannon fire blowing up the 4 towers of the castle and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Approximately one third of the cities population died approx 400 people. Thankfully now the city is a prosperous place to live.
The Cathedral is an imposing 16th century building , work is currently taking place to restore stonework.
We had a walk around the quiet streets of the town enjoying some of its other buildings and sights.
Of course the afternoon wouldn’t have been complete without a small drink.
taraabit 